European laws could remain in place in Scotland even after Brexit, the Faculty of Advocates has claimed.
The legal body insisted it is "inconceivable" for all legislation to be scrutinised to determine what needs to be amended before the UK actually quits the European Union (EU).
Dean of the Faculty Gordon Jackson QC made the point in a submission to MSPs on Holyrood's European and External Relations Committee as they start to probe the implications of the vote to leave.
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The submission stressed that at present while "where there is almost no clarity on when, or how, Brexit is to be realised, we cannot offer more than general thoughts".
Mr Jackson said: "It appears to us to be inconceivable that it will be possible to review all that law, and determine what to keep and what to remove, in time for the last day of the UK's membership of the EU.
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"Some kind of transitional legislation, providing that European law in force at the date of Brexit remains in force until repealed or replaced, appears inevitable."
European Union law has been "woven into the fabric of law in the UK" for more than 40 years, the Faculty said, adding it had "proved impossible during the referendum campaign to arrive at an uncontested estimate of what proportion of UK law derives from the EU".
Mr Jackson also stated there have been "many instances" of domestic law having been made to implement obligations under a European directive.
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He continued: "Once Brexit has taken place, the extent to which courts should make reference to such directives and, especially, continuing case law of the European Court of Justice, as an aid to interpretation, will be less certain, especially as one moves further in time from the passing of the implementing legislation.
"On any view, the status of the decisions of the CJEU (Court of Justice of the European Union) will become only persuasive rather than binding.
"There are also areas where the domestic law represents the UK's implementation of European directives but does not now specifically refer to those directives.
"There is no reason why, following Brexit, such legislation should not remain in force unless and until the relevant parliament considers that it should be repealed or amended."
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